Today is one of those days that will determine if the road to our dreams is going to be an easy one, or if hurdles in our way will become mountains in need of shifting, using a shovel and wheelbarrow.

We’ve found the land and fallen in love with a house, the difficult part is getting the timing right, banks to come to the party, and sellers to except offers…in my gut I know we’ll get there, but it’s how treacherous the road ahead will be that has me most curious, nervous, daunted. I look forward to switching to excited…time will tell if that is today or set for the not too distant future.

The way I see it, any reason to celebrate a loved one is an opportunity worth making the most of. Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries of any description, milestones, successes ~ you name it, drinks are on and memories are made.

Over the years my passion to celebrate my own birthday, Mother’s Day, or achievements, has dulled.

“Sorry, I forgot.” and “You’re not my mother.” replaced the early morning greeting and cup of tea in bed. I’ll never forget the look on my children’s faces when they apologised for not having a gift to give, which was never expected but something they wanted to reciprocate. My gorgeous mum and sister compensated and made sure my cherubs weren’t disappointed.

Then I met Trent…

Thought out and planned Christmas gifts, in boxes filled with snow, brought tears to my eyes.

An organised breakfast cook off, for Mother’s Day, with a trophy for the winning team, left me lost for words.

Then came my birthday. Not only did he shower me with beautiful gifts, he dedicated days to celebrate me.

A romantic dinner for two, a surprise dinner with the kids, followed by a relaxing afternoon at the exquisite Mandoon Winery with our gorgeous friends.

Althought the official celebrations have come to an end, it’s the everyday moments we share, and the little things he constantly does, that light up my life brighter than neon.

If I had to sum myself up with one word passionate would be it. I like to look at the world and see it for its possibilities. These possibilities may lurk in the most obvious of places, or at times they’re in need of being dug from the deepest depths. Through my rose coloured glasses I see these possibilities as opportunities!

Obstacles placed in my path are mere challenges to test my passion…my desire…my commitment…if the possibility is one worth pursuing, little will stop me from claiming it as as an opportunity!

Looking back to when I was a child, I’ve never been any different. For example, Limbo was my favourite party game. The thrill of the challenge, an obstacle in the way of winning a prize. Flexibility and strategy became my most valuable tools. I stood back and watched as others approached the bar…too soon they took their stance, covering a distance too great in a bent position, only to fall shy of slipping under the bar. I took my time, walked up as close to the bar as possible, and bent back far enough to slip under to claim victory. I worked on my flexibility, and I rarely lost the game.

Little athletics occupied my Saturday morning for many years, hurdles were my favourite event, as was high jump. Again, the challenge of knowing I had to clear an obstacle in order to make it to the finish line drove me to push myself harder. Overcoming a snag set in my path provided such a thrill.

Whilst my first attempt at hurdles may have been a little difficult, my style a little messy…actually, probably a lot messy and a lot difficult…it wasn’t long before the obstacles in my way didn’t even hinder my stride…but, the sensation of soaring over those hurdles never failed to excite me. The rush was like an addiction, and my passion to conquer the challenge, encouraged me to run faster and to jump higher.

Life is not unlike the party game or the track event…hurdles were made for jumping over, limbo a game of flexibility…take opportunities in you stride, find your passion, and manifest your dreams into reality!

For more than twenty years Reiki has been high on my list of things I’d like to learn. On three occasions the opportunity has been presented to me, and for one reason or another the timing was off and I never managed to tick Reiki off my ‘To-Do’ list.

At the turn of the year I made a promise to myself, not a specific goal or a new year resolution, but a promise that 2017 was going to be a great year. A year of me exploring new possibilities, of seeking out opportunities, of deciding what I want and going for it.

As we go into the final month of the first quarter, I am pleased to say that thus far, besides my two week melt down when I allowed Mr Not So Right to slow my forward momentum, I have been grasping opportunities with both hands and holding on for dear life.

This weekend I am taking time out, with my eldest daughter, Caitie Hammond, for a Reiki course taught by the gorgeous Helen Hart, Reiki Master and Hypnotherapist at the Mundaring Wellness Centre.

I look forward to restoring balance and clarity to my life to allow creativity a clearer path to the forefront of my mind.

After such a busy writing weekend, I expected inspiration to settle and my mind to shift from overdrive to cruise…but, it didn’t. I have seen the other side of 3am every day before my eyelids became too heavy and I was forced to call it a night.

It’s times like these that I wish my kids were on school holidays. I’m not going to lie, I dread having to get up before nine, so when my alarm screeches for me to rise at seven I certainly don’t bound out of bed eager to start the day.

Most weeks by the time Wednesday rolls around I am in need of a pick me up. Lunch with friends or dinner out with my kids, either suits me fine…I love to cook, my nonna and mum taught me well, but nothing beats having someone do it for you…this week, for some reason, I didn’t feel the need to indulge.

This afternoon as I sat waiting for my daughter to finish work I thought about why that may be, and the only answer I could come up with was that I am happy and content in what I am doing.

Over the past two weeks I’ve had two books released and another up for preorder, available 29th March. Uni has started, and I’m loving the law and criminology units more each semester. Sweet Life For Mum’s, my motivation and success coaching service, is taking off, which I’m super excited about! And, I’ve even taken time out to read.

I’m grateful for the life I live, the beautiful people I share it with, and the new friends I’m making along the way. Even before I began writing this post I didn’t realise what I am about to admit, but gratitude is my key. Being grateful rather than looking for inspiration to motivate me means I use my time more productively, which brings me closer to materialising my dreams.

Moving forward is so much more satisfying than sitting stagnant, and if gratitude is what it takes to achieve what I want to do, then grateful I am.

Thanks for reading, it means a lot to me that you are here and sharing in the exciting journey that is life.

Actually, I can…and I will.

For nine months I struggled to find words worth adding to my manuscripts. Heartbreak crippled me and I avoided writing happily ever after’s for my characters because I was hurting. Delete was the most used key on my computer, and stagnate was where I was at.

I allowed myself to wallowed in feelings of not being enough, which grew like a noxious weed to encapsulate and sum up my whole life and not just my relationship with Mr Not So Right.

After so long down I found it difficult to climb back up, as if the walls of my misery pit were lined with moss and I couldn’t get a grip on anything. So I sat and I waited…

The bottom of the pit opened up from beneath me when I received a message from Mr Not So Right announcing he’d arrived in town. The usual playful banter via messenger was back, until he informed me that his days were already counted for and I didn’t make the cut.

Yep, I was back to crying myself to sleep at night…okay, day and night. My want for anything, even to climb out of the ever deepening pit, faded. I went through the motions of each day as if preprogrammed from years of living one day over again and never moving forward.

My dreams floated somewhere above, out of reach, taunting me…a constant reminder that I was still so far from achieving them. For the first time ever I allowed myself to believe that maybe I couldn’t…that I wasn’t enough, that I never was and I never would be. That was until I received another message…

‘I’m in transit. I’ll reply.’

Those 5 words were all it took for change.

I laughed. I laughed so hard that tears ran down my cheeks for a completely different reason. It felt good. Laughter was what I needed in my life, not misery. Instead of sitting in front of my computer and forcing words onto the page, I took time out.

I went to the gym, indulged in a reflexology treatment and caught up with family and friends. After a few days I felt more alive than I had in a long time and ideas began to flow freely.

A week later I was ready. I got up determined to make a dent in the goals I had set in order to achieve my dreams. A manuscript I had been working on caught my attention. I wanted a project I could complete before my head hit the pillow that evening, so I was quick to rule the novel out as an option.

I pondered for a few minutes as I made myself a latte. I toyed with the idea of what if I could finish it. The satisfaction of conquering such a massive task would be the perfect boost I needed…so I took the challenge.

8,500 words was all it took. 8,500 words before I typed The End. The most exciting part in the process for me was knowing that it was actually the beginning. I believed in myself. I grasped the challenge with both hands, and I did it!

This week, as we move from February to March, I am embracing the motto Actually, I can…and I will. I can’t wait to see what new adventures March brings.